Adjustable band



" March 11, 1947. v N. 51550 ETAL 2,417,289

ADJUSTABLE BAND Filed Dec. 14, 1945 INVENTORS A/I VO B/sso 4 7 LEE .7- Gnu-arm A TTOEZVEY Patented Mar. 11, 1947 UNITED srrseersnr QFFICE ADJUSTABLE BAND Nine Eisso, New York, and Lee J. Gifford, Valley Stream, N. K; said Gifford assignor. to said Bisso Application December 14, 1945, Serial No. 635,039

15 Claims.

length thereof to suit the requirements or wishes of the purchaser. More specifically, in accordance with this object of the invention, the pivotally connected links are connected to each other in such a way that they can be very easily and quickly adjusted by the sales person at the time of the sale, without the use of any tools, thus making it possible to satisfy the purchasers requirements immediately, at the time of the sale, and eliminating the necessity for sending the band to the manufacturer for adjustment or to have the adjustment made by a skilled mechanic.

The invention, and the above mentioned and other objects thereof, will be fully understood from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings which, however, are to be considered as illustrative of the invention but not in limitation thereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an enlarged perspective view of a band embodying the present invention, several of the links being shown in section, only a, few of the links being shown, the rest of the band and the wrist watch to which it is attached being indicated by the clot and dash lines;

Fig 2 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged bottom plan view of one of the links;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of another form of link assemblage embodying the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line E- of Fig. 4.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the band of the present invention comprises a plurality or series of links it, disposed in end to end relation, there being a sufficient number of said links to form the band as indicated by the dot and dash line E2 in Fig. l, the band being connected as here shown to a wrist watch W. It will be understood that a suitable separable con" necting device or, alternatively, an expansion device may be interposed in the band to enable the latter to be placed on and removed from the wearers wrist. Also, it will be understood that the links it may be of any suitable shape 01' configuration other than the specifically illustrated form thereof.

The adjacent links iii are pivotally connected to each other by pivot pins M. Each link I9 is hollow and has a narrow end portion iii which is received within the wider end portion it of the adjacent link. Also, as here shown, each link has a top part 2i) of ornamental form and a fiat bottom part 22. Said bottom part 22 of each link has a cut-out or recess 2d of slightly greater width than the narrow end portion H: of the link to allow for the relative pivotal movement or" the adjacent or companion pivotally connected links. Also, each link is provided with an opening 26 at the wider end it thereof for the insertion of the narrow end it of the adjacent link into the companion link.

The pivot and connecting pins i l pass through small openings 25 in the opposite sides of the link at the wider end thereofand through slots 36 in the narrow end it of the companion link. After the pins are inserted in the links, the ends of the pins are headed over as at 3!. Each link is provided with a detent 32 positioned to engage a companion pin 14. As here shown detent 32 is formed integrally with a struck out portion 3-; of the bottom 22 of the link. Links it, or at least the bottoms 22 of said links are formed of sheet metal so that the struck out portions 35 thereof are resilient for releasably holding detent 32 in position transversely of the adjacent connecting pin i l. It will be understood that when all of the detents are at the right of the com-- 1 panion pivot'pins it, respectively, the band is of maximum length and that in order to decrease the length of the band one or more pairs of adjacent links are moved relatively to each other in the direction of the length of the band to position the detent or detents 32 as the case may be, at the left of the companion pins M,

respectively, viewed in Figs. 1 and 2. It will be 1 noted that the detents 32 are hook shaped and have rounded outer end surfaces 355 so that the companion pivot pin M can ride over the detent in the relative movement of the adjacent links, in band-contacting direction, 1. e., for decreasing the size of the bracelet. It will be noted that zen adjacent links are thus moved to position the pivot pin i l for decreasing the size of the bracelet, the hooked portion of the detent prevents the return movement of the adjacent links thus adjusted for decreasing the length of the band.

In l the above described principle of the ings 56 in the side walls of the side links and through slots 56in the side walls of the intermediate links 52, In this form of the invention each intermediate link 52 is provided with a pair of detents 58', like the detent 32 above described,

for engagement with the companion outer side links Ell at the opposite ends of said intermediate link. Accordingly, the flat bottom 66 of the intermediate link 52 is provided with two resilient struck out portions 62. It will be noted that the manner of adjusting the length of the band as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 is the same as that of adjusting the length of the band of the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3.

In accordance with the present invention, the adjustable bands as sold by the manufacturer have their links disposed for the maximum length of the band so that the links can be readily adjusted to decrease the band to the desired length to 'suit the requirements or the wishes of the purchaser. Ordinarily all of the links of the band of the present invention may have the adjustment feature incorporated therein, but it will be understood that it is within the scope of V the present invention to provide a flexible band in which less than all of the links may have such adjustable feature, and it is likewise within the scope of the present invention to provide in the band an expansion device of any suitable type to enable the ban-d to be put on and taken on without disconnecting ends of the band from each other. 7

While we have shown and described the preferred embodiment of our invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise than as herein specifically illustrated or described and that various changes in the details of construction and in the arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the underlyin idea of the principles of the invention within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention,=what we claim and desire to secure by Letter Patent is:

1. A flexible band comprising a plurality of links disposed in end to end relation and pivotally connected to each other in said relation, adjacent links being also connected to each other for relative movement longitudinally of the band, and interengaging means on adjacent links for holding them in adjusted relation. 2. A flexible band comprising a' plurality of links disposed in end to end relation and pi'votally connected to each other in said relation, by pivot pins extending transversely of companion pivotally connected links, means including said pivot pins for connecting the companion pivotally connected links for limited relative movement to decrease the length of the hand, and means on one of the companion links engageable with a companion pin for prevent- -ing return movement of said companion links.'

3. A flexible band comprising a plurality of links disposed in end to end relation and pivotally connected to each other in said relation, by pivot pins extending transversely of companion pivotally connected links, means including said pivot pins for connecting the companion pivotally connected links for limited relative movement to decrease the length of the band, certain of said links having slots in which the pivot pins are movable in a direction longitu- 4 dinally of the band, and resilient means on said links, which allow movement of said pins in band-contracting direction and which engage said pins, respectively, to prevent movement of said pins in band-expanding direction,

4. A flexible band comprising a plurality of links disposed in end to end relation and pivotally'connected to each other in said relation, adjacent links being also connected to each other for relative movement longitudinally of the band,

and interengaging means on adjacent links for holding them in adjusted relation, said 'interengaging means comprising a pin secured to one of said adjacent links and extendingtransversely thereof and a detent carried by the companion adjacent link and engageable by said pin for preventing relative return movement of companion links in band-expanding direction.

5. A flexible band comprising a plurality of links disposed in end to end relation and pivotally connected to each other in said relation, adjacent links being also connected to each other for relative movement longitudinally of the band, a

and interengaging means on adjacent links for holding them in adjusted relation, said inter engaging means comprising a pin secured to one of said adjacent links and extending transversely V thereof and a resilient detent integral with the bottom of the companion adjacent link and engageable by said pin for preventing relative return movement of companion links in band- 6. A flexible band comprising links disposed in end to end relation andpivotally connected to each other in said relation, by pivot pins extending transversely of companion pivotally connected links means including said pivot pins for connecting the companion pivotally connected links for limited relative movement to decrease the length of the band, certain of said links having slots in which the companion pins are movable in a direction longitudinally of the band, and resilient means on said links which allow movement of said pins in band-contracting direction and which engage said pins, respectively, to prevent movement of said pins in band-expanding direction, said resilient means being integral with said links, re-

spectively. V r

7. A band comprising a series of links con-, nected in end to end relation for limited relative movement longitudinally of the band in bandcontracting direction, and interengaging'means on adjacent links, respectively, for preventing relative return movement of the adjacent links.

8. A band comprising a series of links connected in end to end relation for limitedrelative movement longitudinally of the band 'in band-contracting direction, and interengaging' means on adjacent links, respectively, for preventing relative return movement of the adjacent links, said interengagin'g means comprising a pin secured to one of said adjacent links and extending transversely thereof and a resilient, detent integral with the bottom of the companion adjacent link and engageable by said pin for preventing relative return movement or" companion links in band-expanding direction.

9. A flexible band comprising a plurality links disposed in end to end relation and pivotally connected to each other in said relation, by Divot 7 pins extending transversely of companion'pivotally connected links, means including said pivot pins for connecting the companion pivotally connected links for limited relative movement to de-"' a plurality, of V crease the length of the band, certain of said links having slots in which the companion pins are movable in a direction longitudinally of the band, and resilient means on said links which allow movement of said pins in band-contracting direction and which engage said pins, respectively, to prevent movement of said pins in bandexpanding direction, said links having end-openings in which the ends of adjacent links, respectively, are received.

10. A flexible band comprising a plurality of links disposed in end to end relation and pivotally connected to each other in said relation, by pivot pins extending transversely of companion pivotally connected links, means including said pivot pins for connecting the companion pivotally connected links for limited relative movement to decrease the length of the band, certain of said links having slots in which the companion pins are movable in a direction longitudinally of the band, and resilient means on said links which allow movement of said pins in band-contracting direction and which engage said pins, respectively, to prevent movement of said pins in bandexpanding direction, said links having endopenings in which the ends of adjacent links, respectively, are received, said slots being in said last mentioned ends of the links and concealed by the companion links, respectively.

11. A flexible band comprising a plurality of links disposed in end to end relation and pivotally connected to each other in said relation, by pivot pins extending transversely of companion pivotally connected links, means including said pivot pins for connecting the companion pivotally connected links for limited relative movement to decrease the length of the band, certain of said links having slots in which the companion pins are movable in a direction longitudinally of the band, and resilient means on said links which allow movement of said pins in band-contracting direction and which engage said pins, respectively, to prevent movement of said pins in band-expanding direction, the links which are provided with said resilient means havin opposite end portions thereof positioned, respectively, between adjacent pairs of laterally disposed links of the band.

12. A flexible band comprising a plurality of links disposed in end to end relation and pivotally connected to each other in said relation,

6 by pivot pins extending transversely of companion pivotally connected links, means including said pivot pins for connecting the companion pivotally connected links for limited relative movement to decrease the length of the band, certain of said links having slots in which the companion pins are movable in a direction longitudinally of the band, and resilient means on said link which allow movement of said pins in band-contracting direction and which engage said pins, respectively, to prevent movement of said pins in band-expanding direction, said resilient means comprising a plurality of resilient detents disposed near the opposite ends, respectively, of each of the links provided therewith.

13. A flexible band comprising a series of links disposed in end to end relation and pivotally connected to each other in said relation, adjacent links being also connected to each other for relative movement longitudinally of the band, and interengaging means on adjacent links for holding them in adjusted relation, said interengaging means including a resilient member carried by one of said links and a part on an adjacent link engageable with said resilient member.

14. A flexible band comprising a series of links disposed in end to end relation and pivotally connected to each other in said relation, adjacent links being also connected to each other for relative movement longitudinally of the band, and interengaging means on adjacent links for holding them in adjusted relation, said interengaging means including a resilient member carried by one of said links and a pivotal connecting part on an adjacent link engageable with said resilient member.

15. A longitudinally-adjustable flexible band comprising a series of links disposed in end to end relation longitudinally of the band, means connecting adjacent links to each other in said relation for relative pivotal movement and for relative movement longitudinally of the band, the alternate links having resilient detent members carried thereby, and the links intermediate the alternate links having parts which are engaged by said detent members of adjacent alternate links, respectively, in longitudinally adjusted relation of said alternate and intermediate links,

, NINO BISSO.

LEE J. GIFFORD. 

